Down through Bible history, we find women who waited. Should we think it strange when we have to wait for what God has for us?
- Hannah, though she had a kind and loving husband, waited and prayed for many years to have a child. Samuel was her very own gift from God, the child she had waited for so long. Waiting brought her a cherished son whom she gave back to God to become one of the greatest prophets that Israel had.
- Esther, though the Queen with servants, riches, dresses, and fine food at her disposal, waited for the right time to bring her pressing matter before the King. Her very life depended on her waiting for just the right moment. Waiting brought the salvation of her life, as well as the lives of the Jewish people.
- Ruth, a foreigner and dependent on the mother of her dead husband, obeyed the authority over her and waited for the one God had for her. Waiting brought her a hard-working husband she wouldn’t have found on her own and the privilege of being in the lineage of Jesus Christ.
- Mrs. Noah, though we don’t often think of her, waited and worked right alongside her husband for 120 years while the ark was built. Their family withstood ridicule (even from her parents, I’m sure), labored together, and fulfilled God’s plan. Can you imagine the feeling of awe she must have had when God shut the door to the ark and the rain began to fall? Waiting brought the preservation of her immediate family and of the entire human race.
- Rahab, after having received the promise from the Israelite spies that she and her family would be saved, had to wait in Jericho as the scene grew desolate. Fear gripped everyone as they knew the army of Israel was drawing ever closer. Would Joshua honor the spies’ promise? Waiting saved Rahab’s family and found them a new life, with the children of God.
- Sarah, while often faltering and doubting God’s Word, waited for the promise of a child that her husband kept reassuring her that she would have. When all hope seemed lost, at least from a physical perspective, Sarah conceived the child God wanted her to have. Waiting brought her Isaac, her laughter and the joy of her life.
- Rebekah waited on (that is, served) a smelly old man who came by the well with a pack of thirsty, weary camels. Her joyful spirit and willing attitude brought her a proposal to be the wife of Isaac, who was also waiting for the one that God would bring him.
- Mary waited and endured ridicule for her entire life because of the birth of her firstborn, baby Jesus. Though she sometimes forgot who He was and tried to question His doings, her minor inconvenience in waiting was far outweighed by the honor of giving birth to the Savior of the world.
There are countless others, even unnamed women, we could mention who waited for circumstance, for men, for children, for God’s promise to be fulfilled. Is waiting such a bad thing? Waiting draws us closer to the Lord as we rest in Him, and when the fulfilled desire comes, it is sweeter because of the wait.
Don’t lose heart if you feel you are constantly waiting. Take hope from these sisters who have gone before us – it’s worth the wait!
Comments 1
Waiting seems to be a theme in everything these days for me. This is definitely the work of the Lord